The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-06-06
THOUGHTS FROM THERULPIT
DR.. Hartzell's Discourse on the Results
OF Missionary Work in the South.
What Has Been Done by the Freedmen's Aid
Society-SermOns Yesterday by DR..
Mcleod and DIR. Marine.

larry OF the Freedmans Aid Society preached
yesterday forenoon at Roberts Park Nj. T..
Church and in the evening at Central ayenue
NJ T. Church. His text at the morning service
was the latter part of the eleventh verse.
fifteenth chapter of Deuteronomy: 'Thou
shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother. to
thy poor. and to thy needy in thy land"
He said that all missionary work was the
same, whether in China or in Indianapolis; the
saving of souls Is the same, whether the
Congo the Wabash. Christian education
is a part of the work of tho church. When
Christ started his disciples upon their mission
he said $50 teach" The gospel Is something
more than simply proclamation. 1t is great
system to be taught; to 9 expressed by words.
by books, by pamphlets. by sermons, in the
Sunday school, in the home circle, at places of
business, everywhere. The gospel of the Lord
Jesus Christ is many sided. 1t takes in the
whole man, the whole character, the whole
world, with every possible phase of civilization.
The foreign missionary work has to
be of great Importance and significance and
will grow as the blessed time hastens
when, indeed, all nations viii hear the name of
Jesus. The thought of the church is being
turned toward America in these latter days as
never before. Take this question of foreign inn
migration; what mighty one it is. How shall
our cities be ruled, and civilized, and Christian
izedi Never as to-day has the thought and
heart of the American people been turned to-
ward their own country as now.
One of the great missionary fields is the
Southern States. Right after the war four and
half millions of negroes set free in n day.
They were given the ballot. uEprepared for
American citizenship, without home. without
property. They were to be cared for, and how
TO dc it! There were the poor white people of
the South, as ignorant and nearly helpless.
Here were these great American fields calling in
tones of thunder for the whole church to rally
and help educate and save Once in a while
man was found who would mix up politics with
the work. Why" he would say, you've come
down hero to educate tho negro and
20 into politics. Politics had nothing
10 do with it; it was the grandess
work of Christian philanthropy. IL was lifted far
above mere sentmentalism, above all questions
sf party or OF section. 1t is question that God
lays upon all America His words are. "Open
thy hand wide unto thy brother" The negro of
the South, the white man and white woman of
the South. call for you as much as ne who is on
the Congo or she who is in the Zenana of India.
Our church." said DIR. HartZel event to
Bave souls and to educate men and women and
how wonderfully God has blessed her. We
educating in the South almost many white
young men and women as those who are colored.
We have built four thousand churches iii the
South since Appomattox. We have developed
mem bership of over 425 900 in the South. We
have passed the two millions line in mem
bership in this country. The increase in Meth
Ddist Episcopal Church mem bership in the
South has developed more than it did during
the first sixty years of her existence
Our work is among poor whites and colored
people. We need to educate young men pas
tors to elevate and lead these people. You can
not spare them from the North, and were you
to send them down there most of them would
not understand the work and would not succeed.
They must be raised the soil We have
twenty three institutions among the blacks and
eighteen among the whites The Freedmen's
Aid Society represents the grandest educational
movement ever undertaken by the Methodist
Episcopal Church. AT first we had scores of
black men ordained who could scarcely read.
That was right after the war. and was neces-
sary. l remember old black man down in
Louisiana. All he could do to stand and
shout, and pound the Bible-and that was better
preaching thsn much L have heard. But we
were to educate the people After a while
sent young man. and the old man took his
seat in the amen corner just as sweet as could
when I was presiding elder at New Orleans
j went up across lake Ponchartrain aud sixty
miles over swamps and bayous into Mississippi.
There WIS no meeting house. but there were3 600
negroes gathered and not n white man among them
except myself There was only one colored man
in all that neighborhocd who could read and
write. and they had made him Justice of the
peace. He marched at the head of the Sunday
school scholars, singing. lie was very careful
in his reports. and when he sent them to me
used to swear to them as justice of the peace.
That was a great congregation. 1 asked how
many wanted to come into the old church. That
picture should be painted Three thousand
stood up and shouted GLORY, de ole church has
come back agin.p as their eyes streamed with
tears, and their hands were reaching out That
is but one specimen of the work. 1t was every
where all over the South
In Tennessee a young man walked seventy
five miles to go to school and be educated for the
ministry. Don't be fool: stay at home with
mann and me- said the old man; You don't need
no eddication; mann an me hasn't any. Eff you
GO an git eddication you'll DO like some of
them people up North, an be forgery some
pin, an go to the penitentary.' That young
man picked up what little he had, and. with
twenty-five cents in his pocket. came TO us a
great, gawky, awkward mountain boy Bless
God, he had religion, and he wanted TO be some
thing aud do something. Not long since he
1tood upon a platform and made his graduation
speech-a magnificent plea for America-and his
speech was published in the New York papers
Now he marches up and down the Tennessee
mountains preaching the gospel to mis- people.
We have nearly two thousand from among these
young men and women in our schools.
''AlI over the South the negroes want better
preachers One day a colored man came to me,
and said: 'Eldah, you can send us new
preacher l wanted to know what was the mat
ter 'Eldah, we hain't nuthin' to say agin him.
but we jist don't want him no mo- L said some
thing of speaking to the bishop. You needn't
say anythin to de bishop. We have settled that
at a me0tlu OF 00 USn3l DOdFut al We uOuo SonL
dat brudder in His resignation
what is to be the character of these negroes
of their children, and of their childrens children
Is to be settled. We must save them or they are
as certain as fate to 70 into the communistic and
anarchistic elements and drag down u
nation. There 500 negro children born in the
United States-nearly all of them In the south
every twenty-Four hours. That doesn't look like
the is dying out. Ons-eighth of our blood
to-day is negro blood. Columbia is an octoroon-
AS Bishop Simpson said: God cannot afford to
lose America We must give moro and moro
of faith and money and heart to save these
masses. 1t must be done
This educational work is a means of unifying
white and black, North and South Door
negro woman in New Orleans said, My boy shall
have education She and her boy had both
been slaves. She washed and ironed, and saved
her money. She put him in school and kept him
there for nine years And he worked and she
woi kei paying his tuition until he graduated.
He has just been appointed TO n professorship in
pne of the national schools, and will begin teach
lrc. gantannhar | renlemhar his cradua-